The North Florida Fair is a wonderful opportunity for 4-H youth to showcase their hard work, and that includes Cloverbuds! Youth aged 5 to 7 as of September 1 in the current 4-H year are eligible to participate in Florida 4-H and submit entries to the fair. This article covers the how and why of helping Cloverbuds prepare exhibits for the North Florida Fair.
Cloverbud clubs provide a great introduction to 4-H, offering younger members a chance to engage on a smaller scale. While Cloverbuds cannot compete in many 4-H events, they are invited to submit up to three entries to the North Florida Fair. Every Cloverbud who enters will receive a participation ribbon, which is a source of excitement and pride for them. Seeing their own work displayed alongside a variety of other entries can inspire new interests and creativity. Cloverbud entries should reflect what the youth have learned during a 4-H meeting, project, or activity from the past year. The North Florida Fair embraces our 4-H youth and encourages all of them to submit entries in the youth fair, this includes Cloverbuds! Youth ages 5 to 7 as of September 1 of the current 4-H year are eligible to participate in Florida 4-H. The entry rules are listed under Department 210, 4-H Clubs, and Class 16.
Why Cloverbuds Receive Recognition Instead of Placings
Cloverbuds, ages 5 to 7, are in an early stage of youth development where the focus is on exploration, learning, and participation. At this age, children are still developing important social and cognitive skills, and competitive events can sometimes lead to unnecessary pressure. Instead of rankings or placings, Cloverbuds receive participation ribbons to encourage them to engage without the stress of competition. This approach ensures that young children are motivated by fun and personal growth, rather than comparison to others, which is more appropriate for their developmental stage.
Step 1- Fill out your entry form
Download and complete the entry form and turn it in to your local UF IFAS Extension Office on or before October 1st. Your local 4-H Agent will assign tag numbers to your exhibit and ensure that your form is turned in to the North Florida Fair Office. Your local 4-H agent will also let you know when and where to bring your exhibits.
Step 1- Preparing your entry tag– You will want to fill out your exhibitor’s form with all the items you plan to enter in the North Florida Fair. When filling out your exhibit tag, be sure to write the red tag number on your Fair Entry Form. Here is the information you need to correctly complete your entry tag:
Section – 210
Class- 16
Lot- This will be your age division; write Cloverbud
Exhibit- a short description of the item you are entering (example: painted pumpkin)
Exhibitor- Your name
Address- Name of your county
Once your tag is filled out, you will want to make sure that it is securely attached to your exhibit. Use the perforations at the bottom to remove your claim check- this has your exhibit number on it. You will want to keep track of your claim check to find your exhibit once the fair is over.
Creative Cloverbud Projects: A list of simple project ideas that can be used as fair entries, such as painted crafts, small posters, and beginner gardening projects.
You can exhibit canned food at the North Florida Fair to earn ribbons and fair premiums. Whether you grew or harvested the food yourself, or you purchased food that was in season to preserve, exhibiting canned food is a big part of any 4-H food safety or preservation project. This article will help you prepare your canned goods to exhibit at the North Florida Fair, and includes a link to the fair rules, a short video highlighting common issues to avoid, and how to prepare your entry tag.
Class 6 Rules- Preparing your canned food for entry in the North Florida Fair requires following careful guidelines to ensure your food is safe to eat. The rules for entry outlines these required elements.
Class 6 Preparation Tips & Video– When selecting your recipe, check with your local Extension office to ensure the recipe is following the appropriate guidelines. Canned food entries are required to include a copy of your recipe and it’s source if you choose to retype for the entry. The preparation instructions on the recipe are the required procedures including appropriate jar preparation. This video explores a few of the overlooked requirements of entries and some of the judging criteria.
Preparing your entry tag– You will want to fill out your exhibitor’s form with all the items you plan to enter in the North Florida Fair. When filling our your exhibit tag, be sure to write the red tag number on your Fair Entry Form. Here is the information you need to correctly complete your entry tag:
Section – 210
Class- 6
Lot- This will be your age division; write “A” for juniors (8-10 years old), “B” for intermediates (11-13 years old), or “C” for seniors (14-18 years old).
Exhibit- a short description of the item you are entering (example: canned tomatoes)
Exhibitor- Your name
Address- Name of your county
Once your tag is filled out, you will want to make sure that it is securely attached to your exhibit. Use the perforations at the bottom to remove your claim check- this has your exhibit number on it. You will want to keep track of your claim check to find your exhibit once the fair is over.
For more information about canning and food preservation, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office. Most offices offer canning and food preservation classes as well as educational resources.
For the second year, Escambia County takes the top spots… across all three age divisions! The Intermediate and Senior teams will be competing in the State Food Challenge in Tampa February 17th!
The Florida 4-H Food Challenge Competition provides an opportunity for youth to gain food safety and preparation knowledge and skills using a competition to allow for the display of what they learned. Additionally, these youth must champion teamwork, use a mystery item to create a dish for a specific category (main dish, side dish, appetizer, or healthy dessert), purchase complementing food products for their recipe from the competition pantry on a limited budget, and create the dish for judging. To cap it off, teams must provide an oral presentation to the judges summing up all their efforts and highlighting their culinary creation. This presentation ideally includes how they implemented food safety, decided upon their recipe, recipe preparation, how it fits into MyPlate, nutritional content and possible healthier substitutions. All dishes are required to be a minimum of two servings and senior teams also provide a cost per serving. Judges may quiz youth regarding their presentation and dish after the team presentation.
This year, the Northwest District Food Challenge competition was the largest in the state hosting 10 teams. Once again, Escambia County took the top spot in all three age divisions with the intermediate and senior teams advancing to the state competition at the Florida State Fair in Tampa in February.
The life skills attained with the Food Challenge program will serve these youth for the rest of their lives. Harvard Health notes when you cook and prepare meals at home, they are overall more nutrient dense, use healthier preparation practices and are most cost effective. If you are interested in this program, contact your local 4-H Office.
Scroll below to see all the teams during their presentations. Senior teams were presented with the mystery item of avocado and category of side dish. Intermediate teams were assigned chickpeas and appetizer. Junior teams were assigned fire roasted tomatoes and main dish.
Judging table display of culinary creations. Top, Liberty’s, center Escambia’s intermediate, bottom Escambia’s senior.
The Northwest District 4-H Food Challenge took place on January 7, 2023, and the results were phenomenal! This new competition challenges youth to work as teams of no less than two or more than four, and practice critical thinking, open communication, and presentation skills. Presentations are to include the knowledge and skills youth have learned through the project such as kitchen safety, food safety, cooking techniques, recipe creation, and how they worked together. But that is not all, additionally, teams are using a set of specific cooking supplies, a mystery ingredient, a specific dish category (main dish, side dish, appetizer, or healthy dessert), and a set amount of 4-H money to spend at the challenge grocery store. The entire competition allows 40 minutes for youth to put all of this into practice. Escambia County entered a senior and intermediate team while Liberty County entered an intermediate team into the inaugural competition.
Escambia County’s senior team, dubbed O Crepe and the Spice Girls consisted of Alan Bray-Crews, Laney Clarke, Ryan Clarke, and Aubrie Dillon, who were presented with portabella mushrooms for their mystery ingredient with the category of the main dish. The team produced an excellent mushroom soup as their main dish. The dish along with their well-prepared presentation earned them a place in the Florida 4-H State Food Challenge competition at the Florida State Fair in Tampa on February 18.
The two intermediate teams’ mystery ingredient was Brussel sprouts and the side dish category. The Flaming Clovers of Escambia County consisted of Chloe Bray-Crews, Brian Brewster, Charli McClendon, and Kayla Weaver with alternate member Scott Weaver on hand. The Culinary Criminals represented Liberty County made up of Harper Holt, Jansen Capers, Isabella Ransom, and Lexi Ford. The two teams created uniquely different dishes and presentations. While the Escambia team received the first-place ribbon, Liberty County’s team came in a very close second place. Escambia’s intermediate team also earned a place at the Florida State Food Challenge competition at the Florida State Fair in Tampa!
photo credit D. Clarke O Crepe and the Spice Girls
With both Escambia teams representing the Northwest District at the state competition, it was exhilarating to watch the kids interact and quiz one another while awaiting the competition to begin. Seniors were given a red bell pepper as the mystery ingredient with the category of side dish and intermediates were given a tangerine for their mystery ingredient with the category of healthy dessert. Again, Escambia County dominated and secured first place in both age categories. The first-place senior team at the Florida State Fair, Escambia County’s O Crepe and the Spice Girls, is eligible to compete in the National 4-H Food Challenge at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas this fall.
photo credit D. Clarke Flaming Clovers
This new 4-H opportunity has been embraced in several counties thus far and will continue to grow. This project promotes practical life skills youth will use for the rest of their lives. If your child is interested in food and nutrition and/or healthy lifestyles projects, contact your local 4-H Agent to explore project opportunities.
A special thanks to Escambia County’s volunteer leader, Linda Crews, who has embraced this competition and has worked with these youth to truly make the best better, and to Mr. Dave Clarke for sharing state event photos.
Youth participating in 4-H University can gain skills they can rely on for a lifetime! How do you ask? These youth (aged 14-18) get to explore numerous career opportunities by participating in educational workshops, lead community service projects, participate in competitive events, be recognized for their outstanding activities, and make friends with youth from across the state!
The weeklong 4-H University experience allows youth to self-select topics of interest and gain insightful experiences to explore these topics. This year’s tracks include livestock and dairy science to food science and culinary. Simply put, this is career exploration. These experiences are informative and introduce topics of interest that youth may want to consider as a career path. Many include the ‘learn by doing’ activities, for example making homemade mozzarella cheese, are designed to develop some life skills in the process. If that was not enough, there are competitive events such as illustrative talks and public speaking, a Share the Fun Contest that allows youth to share their talents with others, a campus tour for first -time attendees, and of course a youth banquet and a dance.
While speaking to a former 4-H State President, Mr. Matt Schmarje (99-00), he echoed the importance of 4-H University (at that time called Congress). By self-selecting workshops led to the introductions he had to numerous different topics and the building of life skills that he says have served him to this day. He then went on to express 4-H University also taught him team building skills, how to embrace people and their differences, and allowed him to develop and enhance his communication skills. The years he spent attending 4-H University allowed him to grow within the 4-H program through the many experiences that he has utilized in his life and career. Most importantly Matt emphasized how the accepting and embracing of other people and their differences opened his world to a variety of cultural experiences with people he is still friends with to this day.
The North Florida Fair is a wonderful opportunity for 4-H youth to showcase their hard work, and that includes Cloverbuds! Youth aged 5 to 7 as of September 1 in the current 4-H year are eligible to participate in Florida 4-H and submit entries to the fair. This article covers the how and why of helping Cloverbuds prepare exhibits for the North Florida Fair.
Step 1- Preparing your entry tag– You will want to fill out your exhibitor’s form with all the items you plan to enter in the North Florida Fair. When filling out your exhibit tag, be sure to write the red tag number on your Fair Entry Form. Here is the information you need to correctly complete your entry tag:
